Time's Shadows
by manunitedfan
Summary: A sequel to Time Bomb. A daughter of Persephone turns up on camp, and makes a good impression by nearly killing Jade. Ancient traditions are invoked, meaning Nico and Jade are, erm, pretty much stuffed. Please R&R- has funny moments!
1. Inception got NUTHING on you

**TIME'S SHADOWS**

**A SEQUEL TO TIME BOMB**

**Chapter 1- Inception got NUTHING on you. **

There are some people in this world, who you believe, are just created to make life harder for you. They seem to deliberately sabotage everything you do, set out a vengeful quest to ruin your life as much as possible. Everybody experiences these people once in their lifetime. Some grin and bear it, ignoring the malice and turning a blind eye to the problems created. Some people let it all out on dear Mr. Fuzzly propped up on their pillow. Some carefully, quietly, try to have a nice, polite, mature word, dealing with it like the sensible adults they are.

Some people bottle it up until they spill right over, brimming with pure fury. Then they let it out in one massive explosion of emotion, almost setting fire to things, scattering people around them, instantly becoming the latest camp gossip, and freaking the Hades out of their boyfriend.

I guess I fit into that category.

I suppose I should start from the beginning. A few of you out there today might be wondering if I am a complete psycho, writing my memoirs from the lovely padded room I now live in. No to that question, before you ask me. Read your mind? I'm psychic like that. And the number you're thinking of right now is 7. Damn straight.

It began with a sleepy Thursday morning, the morning sun weaving patterns with the shade on the canvas of the dewy grass. As the last of the night rolled away over the horizon, I sat on the mismatched verandah of my cabin, hugging my knees to my chest. Well, knee, really. As I watched nymphs and dryads sleepily emerge from their trees, rubbing their chlorophyll- stained eyes with their hands and yawning as dramatically as possible, I saw a sudden burst of movement out of the corner of my eye. A whoosh of air and a quiet thump alerted me to a shadowy presence behind me. I turned, sleepy smile present on my face.

Nico. Always, always, always Nico. He always tried to perfect his landings to surprise me, but he could never quite get the finishing touch. He was crouched behind me, kneeling with his hand planted firmly against the ground, hiding in the barely visible early morning shadow. I raised an eyebrow. "Good morning. Why do you keep doing that? I can see you coming a mile away."

He smiled; a stunning thing to see. When Nico smiles, his eyes sparkle with pure happiness, and his open, joyful smile spreads slowly across his face. When he laughs, it's a bubbling chuckle that you can't help but laugh along with, even if it's the stupidest of jokes. "Because I love you, why else?"

I sighed dramatically. "That was very irrelevant."

"But it's true."

I couldn't help but smile at his goofiness, and leaned backwards into his lap. My head rested against his chest, and his long, clever fingers began playing with my hair. We sat there for a few minutes, soaking up the morning sun, till I interrupted the comfortable silence. "I had that dream again, Nico. It's stupid, but I'm getting worried about it. It's certainly not quest-worthy, but it must mean something."

As I leant up to see his eyes, they had dimmed a little. "It means something, Jade, for sure. We'll just have to wait and see. It doesn't say anything specifically, just a girl having some kind of sleep-fit. If it comes up with anything more, we contact Chiron. Simple."

"I like that you said "we"."

"I'm with you for this, J, forever. You know that, don't you?"

I smiled, concerns brushed aside by Nico's hopeless romanticism. I'd been having a recurring dream for about a week. It was like when you mortals watch a really bad YouTube video. Like, when the camera throws itself in and out of focus, and the cameraman's hands are shaking. The thing they're videoing moves around too much, so half of the video's shot at a blank wall.

The only thing I could make out was the slight figure of a girl, slumped against the trash can of an alleyway. She wore a school uniform that looked like it cost a lot, but had undertaken one too many homeless nights. It was streaked with general grime, ripped in some areas, stained in others. She was sleeping, but not well. Her hands waved around in her sleep. She moaned; as if in terrible pain, as her hands lashed out at an invisible enemy. I couldn't see her face- she was hunched away from me, and most of her face was hidden by her long black hair. Then the camera blurred, spun away.

As the wake-up trumpet echoed across the peaceful valley, Nico tapped my head. "Time to get up!"

I groaned, pretending to be asleep, as I struggled upwards. As I rolled to a sitting position, I tried to pull myself upwards. Again, and again. Nico's hands hooked under my arms, and pulled me gently upwards. I smiled. "Thanks. It's still a big thing to get used to."

A big thing. Yep, that was one way of putting it. After I lost control of time in my last quest, crashing onto the sand, I fell unconscious. In a way, that was a good thing. A piece of flying, razor-sharp debris (most likely some of Meneotious's armor) pierced my leg, just above the knee. It impaled my leg, shattering bone, and pinning it to the ground. By the time Apollo's medics reached me, I'd lost so much blood they had to amputate it. Figures. I survive the fall, and then get a leg taken off by flying debris. Freak accident, they called it. I call it luck being a douchebag.

So now, I have a new leg, a prosthetic. Except, its prosthetic demigod style. This means a shiny bronze replica of my old leg and foot, created by the Hephaestus cabin, especially for me. Inside it are thousands of complicated wires, gears, and pulleys, imitating muscle tissue and nerves to the exact point that I can wiggle my shiny bronze toes. Don't ask me how it works, I have no idea. The Apollo medics and Hephaestus engineers worked for five hours to re-create it, (warning- squeamish people skip this part) tying my slit veins and arteries to wires, replicating nerves with sensors and replacing tissue with… whatever the Hades they replaced it with. I was still figuring out all the functions of it, but incredibly impressed.

As Nico and I walked down to the mess hall, holding hands, we were part of the flurry of campers to get to breakfast. My cabin was built right next to Nico's, on top of the valley, where all the new cabins were being constructed. This gave us a good view, but a long walk to anywhere. By the time we got there, most of the food had gone already.

As I grabbed my plate, shoveled food onto it and sat down at my table (alone. How fun.) Chiron cleared his throat. When he does that, you know something big is going down. Every single camper's head perked up.

He smiled. "Good morning campers! I have just a quick announcement to make. We have a new camper here today!"

He looked around for some signs of excitement, which reached the thrilling climax of a few half-hearted claps and weary cheers. "She arrived here early this morning. So campers, if you haven't already met her, meet Jessica Rachel Harper!"

A girl stepped up next to him, with a shy smile on her face. Her long straight black hair was tucked behind her ears, as her dark blue eyes looked at us all in wonder. She was tanned, like she'd spent most of her life somewhere sunny. She acquired a bit more applause- a few wolf whistles from the guys, which she politely blushed at. A Hermes kid called out "Unclaimed?"

"Yes." She said softly, with just the trace of an accent, looking directly at the guy, who groaned, starting up a chorus from the Hermes cabin.

She shrugged, and then turned to Chiron. "When am I getting my uniform back?"

Suddenly, something clicked in my brain. "Hey!" I yelled, standing up. Everyone went silent. "You're- you're the girl from my dream!"

**And so there begins another story! WARNING: I may not be able to update for quite some time because I've got exams looming around the corner… DUN DUN DUN. Please review! I love the lovely reviews! If you review you get virtual cookies and everybody likes cookies :D**

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	2. Monosyllabism is SO yesterday

**Chapter 2- Monosyllabilism is SO yesterday**

Confusion and shock registered on her face. "What dream?"

Nico jumped up. "Her?"

Chiron just looked mystified. "What?" He said, eyebrows scrunched up.

Mr. D burped.

I took that as my cue to explain. "OK, this might sound weird, but I had a dream about you." I said, flicking my hand towards Jessica. "You were in an alleyway, sleeping against some trash cans, and you were having a nightmare or something. Cause you were thrashing around and yelling and all that. And I couldn't see you properly. That was it."

Awkward silence reigned supreme. Jessica's eyes met mine, staring into them. She actually had really pretty eyes, the exact color of blueberries. _Ugh, I have to stop thinking this poetic crap_.

She slowly realized every single person on the table was waiting for her to speak. "Uh, well, um, yeah, sometimes I do have nightmares, and, uh, yeah, I was in an alleyway recently, but, ah, I have no idea how you could have had an, um, dream about me doing something I was actually doing. C'mon, that's crazy; it's like _Heroes-_ it's not actually possible, right?" She looked around for people to support her, and her voice became desperate. "Right?"

"Welcome to the magical world of demigod dreams, sugar." Some wisecrack called out (as always, from the Hermes table) and acquired some sniggers.

The mood seemed to relax. Everyone decided to leave for their morning activities at once, getting up, laughing and joking as they headed off. I sighed, hand massaging the back of my neck, and checked my timetable. Up first, Greek Mythology. I smiled. Greek Mythology was one of those lessons where I could totally goof off and still be getting those straight A's. Something to do with being the daughter of history itself made studying super easy.

I waved goodbye to Nico as he scowled, making his way towards the Pegasus stables. He and horses really don't mix. If you've ever seen a horse buck somebody off, try seeing a Pegasus buck somebody off. Fifteen feet up in the air. Oh yeah, and the person falls through the roof of the horse stables and leaves a massive hole which the satyrs then have to fill up. There's a reason why he doesn't like them, and the feeling is mutual.

I strode across the green grass, when I felt somebody watching me. You know, when the hairs rise up on the back of your neck, for you mortals. For us demigods, it's more like somebody's thrown a icecube down your shirt. Icy cold, and extremely unpleasant.

I turned around to see Jessica watching me (Oh, who else?). I raised one eyebrow, and she looked taken aback at my instant reaction. "Uh, hi, I was wondering if you could show me…" she squinted at her planner. "Where Greek Mythology is?"

_Oh boy, history with the person who thinks I'm a complete mental case. _"Yeah, sure, I have that right now too. It's just over the valley." I smiled, trying to act normal.

She smiled, if gingerly. "Cool. Thanks."

There was an awkward silence between us. This girl just seemed to attract them. "So, any idea who your parent might be?" I said brightly, trying to make conversation.

"No."

_Eloquent and interesting response, Jessica, A+ for that deep and thoughtful insight. _"Well, do you know any Greek gods and goddesses?"

"Yeah."

"Well, which ones do you think you relate to?" _I will force it out of you if I have to!_

"None really."

"I'm sure we'll find them soon. And then you can get claimed! It's really awesome when that happens, very special moment for everyone, especially you." _Now I sound like a flipping tourist guide. Brain to Mouth, Brain to Mouth, WTF is going on there?_

"Yeah."

We walked on in more awkward silence. Then suddenly, she turned on me. "_You _got claimed."

_Finally, she said her first sentence! Her mommy and daddy must be _so _proud._ "Yeah, that's right." I said, trying to sound bright and happy and interesting, something I seem to fail at.

"Who?"

_Back to monosyllabic sentences. _"Clio, Goddess slash Muse of History, basically meaning Time and all that yada."

"Oh."

"So, is your godly parent mother or father?"

"Mother."

"What happened to your father?" _Curiosity strikes again._

"Dead."

_Which would be why you were sleeping in an alleyway? _"Sorry to hear that."

"Mm."

Finally, we reached the mythology temple. I almost sighed with relief. "Well, here we are!"

She said nothing, just went in. I followed, and saw the entire class sitting on the marble floor, covered in cushions to make it more comfy. They all had scrolls set out on their crossed legs. I caught Emma's eye, and she patted the cushion she'd reserved for me. Quickly, I slipped into place just as Chiron clip-clopped in.

"Good morning class!" He said pleasantly. "Today we are to learn the tale of Persephone and Hades!"

I sat up a little straighter. I hadn't heard this one before.

Chiron picked up a pointer, and clicked his fingers. Magically, paintings unrolled from scrolls all around the walls. He cleared his throat, and began. "Hades, Lord of the Underworld, God of Death, fell in love with Persephone, Daughter of Demeter, and Goddess of Spring. One day, he stole her away from her mother, Demeter, by using a cunning ploy. He waited until the very beginning of spring, as Persephone painted the flowers their bright colors. Then, he erupted from the ground, stole her away, and dragged her down to Tartarus."

He pointed to a picture of a dark-haired, pale, bearded man with black robes hiding beneath the ground, watching a young woman. The young woman was skipping through a field of flowers, laughing, her long brown hair flying around her shoulders. A woman wearing a crown of garlands upon her head kept an eye on her, laughing jovially at her antics.

Chiron tapped the picture, and it began to move. The garlanded woman turned her back for just a second, and the dark-haired man burst through the earth, seizing the young woman in his arms. Her mouth opened to scream, and his hand clapped across her mouth, pulling her down into the pits of the earth.

"Demeter mourned for her lost daughter, sending the world into an endless winter. All fertility, all growth on Earth stopped. Meanwhile, Hades crowned Persephone Queen of the Dead, adorning her with jewels and promising her his love. But Persephone was miserable, for Hades swore never to return her to her mother, Demeter. As you know, any food you eat in the Underworld means you are bound to the Underworld forever. Persephone did not know this, and ate a pomegranate off one of the trees of the Underworld. This is why Persephone's sign is the-"

Chiron cut off unexpectedly, staring at the back of the room. I perked my head up, wondering why the story had suddenly stopped. I followed his gaze, and then looked straight at Jessica.

She looked bewildered to have everyone staring at her, and even more bewildered when she looked up and saw a golden pomegranate symbol circling above her head. We all dropped to our knees, including Chiron. In his deep voice, he said. "Hail Jessica Rachel Harper, Daughter of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, Consort of Hades and Goddess of Spring. "

All I could think was, _we are never going to finish that story. _

**Hope you liked this chappie guys! Please review! I've only got one review, and it's from my best friend, so that makes me a little bit sad… **** last story I got 107 reviews! Let's see some more, please! Also, suggestions are appreciated! More sarcastic humor? Can do! More Nico x Jade love? Can do! More awesomeness? Defo can do!**

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	3. Water It Sucks

Everyone gawped a little, naturally. It had been forever since we'd had a Persephone camper. Like… about a hundred or so years. Persephone wasn't really known for cheating. Being the goddess of the dead and all, she didn't get out much. Apart from spring, and she was way too busy working with Demeter to make everything sparkly and warm and new and oh-so-special to have kids. But Jessica seemed to be the exception.

She was the talk of camp for a couple of days. Since we'd hardly ever had a daughter of Persephone, everyone wondered what her personality traits were, her powers, even. Persephone wasn't the goddess of much. Nobody really knew what her powers could be.

Me? I stay away from all that gossip. Sure, my best friend Emma will keep avid track of what's happening with whom. Personally, I couldn't care less. I'm not the gossipy type, never will be. I mused on this as I headed to my next lesson- kayaking. This was held on the lake, setting off from the old wooden pier we'd set up.

Nobody was waiting on the pier, so I sat down on the sun-bleached wood, tearing off my trainers and swinging my legs off the end to dip my feet in the cool water. Naiads swirled around in the water, giggling as I lazily batted one toe at them. The sun warmed my back, and I looked up to a cloudless, blue sky.

I shouldn't have looked up. A footstep suddenly thudded heavily behind me, and I twisted around in alarm. Too late- hands grabbed my shoulders, shoving me down towards the water. I shrieked, my arms flailing, toppling forward into the light green water.

I made a huge splash, sinking into the murky green underwater world. My breath whooshed out of me in a flurry of silver bubbles, and the surprising coolness enveloped me. My eyes flicked open to see patterns of sunlight dancing through the turquoise water, and my arms scrabbled upwards for air. I surfaced with a gasp, and then glowered up at my attacker.

Nico was standing there laughing his stupid ass off. I gave him the death stare, paddling through the water towards the ladder at the end of the pier. He found this even more hilarious, as I hoisted myself up the ladder, grumpy. I didn't look good. My hair was a dark wet mess, and my clothes clung to me. Nico's laughter faded into a cheeky smile as I sat down beside him, leaving a wet imprint on the white wood. "I'm sorry… but you know you look sexy when you're wet, right?"

I gave him a sideways look, knowing he was trying to compliment me to get forgiveness. No, I wasn't having any of that. Nico sighed, and then put on the most apologetic puppy-dog face in the world. "Pwetty please forgive Nico, Jade? Pwetty pleeeease?"

I burst out laughing. He grinned,

and leaned in for a kiss. I blushed, STILL not used to it. , I thought, mentally yelling at myself.

His lips met mine, and a sudden, evil thought snuck into my head. I threw my arms around him, leaned in closer, and suddenly pulled him (and me) off the side of the pier.

We made an even bigger splash then last time, sinking into murky darkness yet again. I burst out laughing underwater, clear bubbles rising up from my mouth. Nico's face is the picture of horror and shock, and as my head breaks the surface, I snort with laughter. His head surfaces a couple of seconds later, his black hair sticking to his scalp, still bewildered. I laugh and laugh and laugh, floating on my back. He stares at me, then laughs too, bobbing in the sparkling water. He splashes me. I splash him right back. We laugh some more.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a figure watching us. It's Jessica, half-behind a tree, standing in the shade. She looks forlorn, looking at me and Nico with… sadness? Contempt? Almost… envy?

I turn my head around in the water for a better look, and she quickly steps behind the tree, as if she was never there. I frown slightly, wondering why she was watching us. Then Nico grabs my shoulders, dunking me under the water, and I don't have time to ponder on Jessica's inner contemplations.

A couple of seconds later, everyone else turns up, so we clamber out of the water, pushing each other, still laughing. Nico and I, we don't really act like a boyfriend and girlfriend, doing sweet things for each other. We still act like we're best friends, mucking around and doing stupid stuff like that. So generally, the Aphrodite campers really, _really_ don't get us.

Kayaking was taught by Percy. He was the ideal dude for the job- a son of Poseidon, being able to generate currents and all that. As he clambered up to the pier, dragging a long box behind him, he gave us all a quick grin. "OK guys, today we're going to learn how to eradicate sea monsters!" He said brightly, to a few cheers from the campers.

He heaved the box up onto the ramp next the pier, made a signal for us all to stand back, and unhinged the box lid. The weirdest thing I have ever seen in all my life slid out. It was a massive fish-shaped thing with the head of a wolf, about the size of a car. The wolf's head had the skin of a dolphin, but the distinctly formed shape of a canine muzzle. The rest of it was shaped like a seal- except with a dorsal fin, like a shark. Just to make it weirder, as if life just decided to take all out on this poor thing, it had horns protruding from where its ears should be. I took a step back, very much weirded out. It slithered down the ramp, barking- sounding exactly like a seal. All of us took a step back.

It landed in the water with a splash, and dived. Percy grinned at all of our expressions. "This is a Ketea Inidikoi, and you're going to be fighting him today. Figure out their weaknesses! Your time starts… now!" He said happily.

_Oh crap,_ I thought.

**Sorry it's so short! I will get more in the next chapter- including:**

**- Why was Jessica a hobo?**

**- WTF is a Ketea Indikoi, if not a creepy thing?**

**- What the point of this story is...**

**I won't update for a while because I have exams :( :( :( but PLEASE review!**

**Especially you Rachel... otherwise I will post those snapshots on Facebook!**

**Other reviewers- ignore the last part and click on that button below :) Kthxbye!**


	4. NACHOS FOR ALL!

I clambered into a kayak, hooking my prosthetic in, wondering what the water had done to it. A quick examination showed everything was working fine- must be waterproof, I concluded. Good thing too- if that thing had rusted, I would be too close to looking like a pirate for comfort. I was more the ninja type of girl.

I slid into the water, making a splash, but quickly grabbing the oar and slicing through the water. My knife was tucked into my leather belt, and I quickly fumbled for it, wondering if celestial bronze rusts when it meets water. Nico suddenly overtook me, sweeping in front, splashing me with a mouthful of water. I made an intelligent sound like GLUBBSH, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, he waved his oar in the air for attention. "Guys!" He yelled. "We need to corner it! Chase it into the shallow side- then we can kill it!"

As I wiped water off my face, everyone headed in a V formation towards the Indigo thingy (Indigo? Indiko? Inidkoy?) I was surprised at how neat the formation was- the class had obviously been brushing up while I'd been passed out. Only Jessica straggled behind, puffing, and red in the face. Obviously whatever posh little boarding school she'd gone to didn't do much on rowing.

I pulled into the formation, keeping an even time, so we cornered the thingymabob (I cannot write it. I will not be stuffed writing it. It shall be called thingymabob from now on) and chased it into the shallow end of the pool. Thingymabob did not like the way things were turning out, by the weird grunting-barking-snuffling sounds it made. Or maybe those were the sounds it made when it was happy.

Anyways, by the time we cornered Thingymabob, it was definitely realizing something was up. It got angry. It started thrashing around, snorting and bucking, quite like a bull in a ring. That is, if the bull was in a lake. And it looked like a Thingymabob. We encircled it in the shallow end, so it couldn't dive underneath our kayaks, not sure what to do next.

Something suddenly caught my eye- a flash of fast movement, just behind me. I began to turn my head towards it, when something whistled past my cheek- a knife. It was so close I practically felt my hair part as it zoomed past me. I froze, staring as the knife hurtled towards Thingymabob, hitting it square in the side, slicing a long, thin gash in its streamlined side. It bellowed in a sudden roar of rage and pain, and started to charge, straight for an Apollo girl.

The girl panicked, blanched, but fit an arrow in record-breaking time and fired. It was a brilliant shot- right between the eyes. Thingymabob moaned, rolled to the side, and dissolved with a POOF into dust. Our group let one collective breath out, and then smiled. There were hi-fives all round, and everyone congratulated the Apollo girl on her quick reflexes.

I, however, was not happy. I twisted around in my kayak, about to give someone a piece of my mind. Jessica was there, grinning nervously, but her grin faded at my thunderous expression. "What the HADES do you think you were doing?" I growled.

She looked puzzled. "Hades?"

That did nothing to improve my mood. "You could have KILLED ME! You nearly hit my neck, I could have DIED! It was like a MILLIMETRE away! That was one of the STUPIDEST things I've seen in a _long _time!"

She shrugged. "Uh… sorry…"

I was just about ready to throttle her by this point. I mean, she nearly kills me, and she shrugs. I clench my fists, scowl at her, and mutter "Sorry doesn't cut it."

I turn quickly, not wanting to see her superficial expression in case I dive over my kayak to kill her. Everyone else has gone quiet and is pretending not to be staring at me. I bite my lip, muttering dark curses under my breath, and start rowing.

Later, I walk up the hill leading towards the mess hall, still in a rotten mood. Emma bounces up to me, her wavy tendrils of brown hair bouncing in her face. "Hey!" She says brightly, her smile shining like a beacon out of her face.

I weakly smile back, anger fading. "Hey." I say.

It's almost funny to see how quickly her eyebrows scrunch up. "What's up?"

I grimace hugely. "That new Persephone kid just tried to kill me in kayak practice."

Her eyes go all round and huge. "What? Why?"

"She was aiming at the monster Percy had released, but she threw it way too close to my neck for comfort."

Emma nods sympathetically. "New kids, they're always the worst shots, huh?"

"Tell me about it." I groan, rubbing my neck.

She puts an arm round my shoulders. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure she didn't mean to. Just forget it."

"Hmph." I grunt, as her glittering blue eyes gaze up into mine.

She jokingly punches me on the arm. "Hey, grumpy, lighten up! They've got tacos for lunch today!"

I cheer up. "For real?"

She gives me a look. "No, I just told you because I felt like it. What do you think?"

I smile, and jokingly punch her back. "I think I'm going to beat you there." I say, breaking into a sprint.

I hear her outraged call "No fair!" and just run harder, beginning to laugh even more.

Emma always does that- cheers me up completely when I'm feeling down. She's one of the few people that get my sarcastic sense of humor, and definitely the best friend I've ever had. Well, apart from Nico, but he's my boyfriend now, which changes quite a few things. I don't think best friends exactly make out quite often.

I sprint all the way to the mess hall, and then theatrically fall down onto the steps, gasping. Emma's right behind me, and collapses next to me, panting yet shaking with laughter. The satyrs give us a few odd looks, as they ladle food out on the tables, which sends us into even more hysterics.

Then the campers start arriving as the conch is blown, and I wander off to my own table, with the enjoyable company, of, uh, me. I scoop food onto my plate, scrape some into the fire with a respectful head duck, and sit down to eat. My eyes briefly flick up as Chiron steps up onto his podium, and clears his throat again for attention.

I almost choke. _How many times is he going to do that?_ I wonder. As the campers look up at him, he smiles quickly. "I'm sorry to interrupt your meal once again, campers, but I have yet another important announcement to make. Please just listen, I'll try not to take up too much of your valuable time."

He puts a tiny hint of sarcasm on the valuable, which makes me smile, since Chiron and sarcasm normally never go together. Jessica suddenly steps up on the podium. My smile fades immediately.

"Okay, first up guys, I want to announce, I'm changing my name to Rachel, which was my middle name." Jessica-now-Rachel happily announces, all smiles and cheer.

I wince. I used to quite like the name Rachel. What a pity. This doesn't seem to be the terribly important news we are all waiting for. As the campers are fairly underactive, Jessica-my bad- Rachel just smiles eagerly again, then steps off. Chiron clip-clops back on. "Well, that's not the big announcement, as some of you may have guessed." He pauses.

I resist the urge to yell "Get on with it!" and instead sit patiently. "Recently, we've gone over some of our old procedures at Camp Half-Blood, since we have not had a Persephone camper for some time." Chiron says thoughtfully. "One of the old traditions, which we have not looked at for several decades, since there has never been a Hades camper and a Persephone camper together, seems increasingly important to our current situation."

I frown slightly, wondering what he's getting at. He seems incredibly solemn- like he's sentencing somebody to a death sentence. He sighs, rests his hand on the podium. "This tradition was created by Hades and Persephone themselves, as to prevent conflict between the two. It states that if a child of Hades and a child of Persephone are both at the Camp at any one given time, to prevent arguments and anger between the gods, for, as you kids say "cheating"… these children are to fight to the death."

_Fight to the death? No, no that can't be right_, I suddenly think. _Maybe he said, right to the left. No, maybe it was light to breath._ A bizarre image of Nico breathing fire comes into my head, and I hurriedly brush it away. _He couldn't… no way… the gods could NOT be that cruel…_

A sudden sequence of thumps means the Aphrodite cabin has fainted, and everyone else looks completely horror-stricken. Nico looks like he's had all the blood drained out of him. Rachel's happiness has completely faded, and she looks like she's seen all three of the Fates directly behind her. There is a heavy, suffocating silence, and then the words begin to set in.

"NO WAY!" I scream.

**I am so, so very sorry I took so long making the chapters! I had 5 different exams, and I was using up all my time studying for them! I hope you like this though- I've made it pretty darn long, packed with as much as I could without giving anything away!**

**Who will win- Rachel v.s. Nico? DUN DA DUN DUNNN!**

**Thank you to my lovely reviewers **** I LOVE YOU. FEEL THAT. THAT WAS EMPATHY. YOU HAVE IT.**

**P.S. I have a friend called Rachel, si, but this character is in no way in Hades or Olympus based on her. Love ya Rach!**

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	5. A Demented Panda Monster

I've broken the spell of the silence which hung like a heavy blanket over our heads, drowning out any other possible thoughts. As soon as my scream shatters the overpowering magic, immediate hubbub rises. Kids immediately turn to their neighbour, voices raised in worry, horror, anger, with the occasional ones already thick with tears threatening to overcome them. Only Rachel and Nico are the only ones silent, still struggling desperately to understand what they must do. I've only just comprehended it. They have to fight to the death, so the gods won't argue over which kids better. The unfairness of it all is like a double punch to the head. And the kids get no say in this?

I look up, looking for Nico's face, wanting to make some sense, find some normality in my world which has now been flipped upside down. He's deathly- ha, ha, I'm funny even when I'm panicking- pale, though his fists are clenched. His wide eyes stare wildly at Rachel; beginning to grasp what he must do, fear flooding through his face.

Rachel's just as pale as Nico, and emits a little moan when she sees him staring at her. She sways on her feet, then faints, unnoticed amongst the beginnings of chaos between the campers. A lone satyr charges towards her to make sure she's OK, then stops, confused as whom to go to as the entire Aphrodite cabin swoons. I grit my teeth. Aphrodite cabin= wholly predictable. Rachel just seems to be dragging my opinion of her lower and lower into the mud. I shake my head in disgust.

While more satyrs flood onto the scene to assist everyone, and Chiron stands there wondering what to do in the chaos, I notice Nico quietly trying to slip away. It's just like him- whenever stuff gets hard, he hates people crowding him. He goes off with his own self to sort things out. This time, however, I'll follow him.

He quietly jogs away, making hardly any sound as he heads for Zeus's Fist. I follow him, also noiselessly, and he's nearly arrived until I hear him mutter "I know you're there, Jade."

I smile, and run faster up to him. My fingers instinctively find his. "Hey. We need to talk."

"Not much to talk about." He mumbles, pointedly avoiding my gaze.

I mock-shove him, but he keeps walking, not returning it. "Listen, we really need to talk, actually." I affirm, falling in step with him again. "If it's the god's will, you're going to have to fight her. And I know you'll win. So you're going to have to kill her."

"I know that, gods damn it!" He suddenly snaps, turning towards me, anger suddenly radiating from him. "I know it! I know I'll have to kill her! And I know that she'll go straight to Elysium, and I know she'll haunt my head forever!"

I stand there, as if rooted to the ground, while he yells at me. "Don't you get it? It's different for me! If you kill somebody, you don't have to spend ages worrying about what you've done! You just get on with your life! If I _ever _kill somebody, they will haunt me PERMANENTLY. They won't _ever _leave me alone! And you don't even get it!"

I've never known Nico to be like this in all the years which I've known him. He's always seemed so calm and vigilant- I'm the hothead one who yells at people. Now, he stomps away from me into a patch of trees, lashing out at one with his foot for good measure. The dryad inside screams and yells abuse, but he storms off, ignoring her completely. I stand there watching him leave, not knowing what to do anymore.

I've never really been one to cry. It's never really been my thing. When tough situations come, I just grit my teeth and get on with it. But now I find my eyes hot with wet tears, which begin to drip down my face. At the same time, my nose begins to run, and I can already feel my eyes going puffy. I know it'll be obvious that I've been crying when I get back to camp, but I don't care anymore. I sit down on the grass, hold my head in my hands, and cry.

Dryads assemble around me, hovering, uncertain of what to do. As my hands become wet with tears, I pull them away from my face, to see Juniper, Grover's fulltime girlfriend standing in front of me. She smiles, and sits down beside me. The others, sensing a DMC (Deep Meaning Conversation) disappear into their trees quickly.

Juniper puts an arm around me. She smells nice- like tree sap and fir needles. I sniff, trying to hold back the tears so I can talk, but she shakes her head. "No, no, you don't need to talk. I saw what happened. We all did. Just have a good cry. Quite usually, it makes everything better."

I didn't think the human head could hold as much water as what squirted out of my tear ducts, but I was proven wrong. I gulped, sniffed, tried to talk, but my voice was thick and wobbly, like it is when you cry. Juniper hugged me, rubbing my back, as I wiped my eyes, sniffing away.

She smiled sympathetically down at me. "We've heard he's got to fight to the death with a girl. Which one is it?"

News sure does travel fast at camp. "New kid, Je- no, Rachel." I mumble, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.

"The one who changed her name?" Juniper questions.

"Yeah, her." I say bitterly, scowling slightly.

"You don't like her?"

"Firstly, she nearly decapitates me in kayaking; now she has every chance to kill my boyfriend and best friend in a fight. No, I freaking love her."

Juniper smiles. "Getting your sarcastic humour back is a good sign, especially for you."

I sniff again, wanting to laugh but feeling it hiccup in my throat. "Ugh, it's stupid, me crying, really stupid. I've just to got to get on with things."

She nods. "It's Nico's fight, you know. Not yours. Don't take on his problems. He's got too many as it is right now."

I give her a sideways look, but shrug. "OK, sure. See ya. Might as well go back now."

I stand up, brushing myself down, and heading down the valley. I can feel her eyes on the back of my neck, but I don't turn around. I walk quickly until I'm out of her sight, and then feel a shiver trace its chilly way up my spine. I walk back into camp, hearing nothing but deathly silence all around me.

This is unusual- usually, camp is incredibly noisy- a haven for kids, of course. As I walk between the soundless cabins, a sense of foreboding invades my head. I snoop around a little more- peering into all the cabins, trying to stop a rising sense of panic from bubbling over. It's incredible- even the noisy Ares cabin has their rock music switched off. The place is desolate.

I head for the Mess Hall, mentally counting how much time has passed since I followed Nico up to Zeus's Fist. Thirty minutes? Not that, even. I start to run, panic-soaked adrenalin beginning to pump into my veins. My ears listen intently for any relieving sound of movement, of voices, of _life_ above the sound of my panting breath and thrumming pulse.

Suddenly I hear it- a low mumble of a voice, barely perceptible, coming from the mess hall. I sprint, relief locked behind the fear I could be imagining it. My footsteps thud heavily, nearly drowning out the sound of a voice my ears strive to hear.

I arrive at the mess hall, and my brain suddenly does a complete blank. As I leap onto the steps, and stare down at what's before me, it's just so absurd it takes me a moment to take it in. Everyone is still huddled around the fire- but they are kneeling, hands clasped, eyes latched to the fire. They are _praying_. Even Chiron has sunk to his forelegs, his hindquarters still raised, looking a little odd.

Mr. D stands before all of the campers, staring down seemingly bored at all of them. His Diet Coke is still clutched between his pudgy fingers, and he takes a long drink out of it. Wiping his lips, unhurriedly, he proclaims. "Uncle Hades, Aunt Persephone. Stop this madness- avoid Halflings lives being taken, particularly your own children. The campers plead with you for the lives of the two innocent half-bloods. Send a sign to show your answer. Thanks, Dionysus."

He says it in a disinterested tone, as if he's reading it off a piece of paper. Then he waves his hands in dismissal. Chiron stands up, and everyone else follows. Then everything goes back to normal. Conversation starts up again in a rumble of voices, kids run to their friends to talk. The drama is gone, and as the drama of the moment dies down, I'm filled with sweet relief. The panic has vanished.

I turn to leave, thinking about switching on some music in my cabin, when a loud bang echoes behind my ear. A sudden scream pierces the hubbub of talk, and as I flinch, my hand is already reaching for my clock necklace. As I twist around, I see a half-formed demon leering at the campers through the fire. One side of it is black as the inside of a coal mine, and weirdly leathery, the other white as candle wax, clothed in rags of what looks like it used to be a golden dress. Blood drips from its scarily human teeth, and its empty, black, eyes latch on Chiron. He stands still, and yells "Melinoe!"

With that, the demon leaps out of the fire, headed for him. It does not touch the ground- instead, seems to fly through the air, swooping over the campers heads, hissing at them in a crackly voice. Chiron backs up quickly, hands flying for his quiver of arrows, as it dives straight for him.

I jam my necklace button hard, and armour materializes over me in a shower of light (yeah, it's a gift from my mom, Goddess of Time. Might be why it's a watch.) And realize there's something I can do to help Chiron. While Melinoe hurtles towards him, teeth extended and snarling, I thrust my hand out and will time to stop (**AN- if you want to find out the full extent of Jade's powers, read my first story, it explains a lot!**).

I imagine everything around me slowing down. Melinoe's path sluggishly halting to a complete stop. It's like everything's been coated in amber. I open my eyes, and smile, at the frozen faces of the campers, halted midway in their panic.

Demons like Melinoe don't obey the laws of time, being immortal and all of that. However, it does slow her down significantly. She realizes this midway through her plunge towards Chiron, and turns at a snail's pace towards me, trying to bare her teeth and realizing her jaws are nearly completely frozen.

I smile at her, raise my eyebrows. Stopping time is already starting to tire me- but I'm determined not to let the strain show on my face. By my belt in my armour is my arsenal of knives, and as I unhook one, Melinoe's empty black holes of eyes widen in panic. But there's nothing she can do. I pinpoint her as a target, and with accuracy that took many months of practice, throw the knife directly at her ugly mug.

She tries to disappear, like many demons can, but she ends up stuck between dust and demon, and can't change. The knife pierces her skull, and she tries to shriek horridly, but instead disappears completely in a shower of dusty black and white goo. By this time, the pressure of oncoming time is like a weight on my shoulders, dragging me down into the depths of unconsciousness. I wince, and let go of time, alleviating the pressure, and sink to my knees to catch my breath.

I take a deep breath as time resumes, and the campers return to normal. Chiron fits his arrow, and then stares as his target's mysteriously disappeared. The other campers, eyes fixed on the sky, do a complete double take. The ones that are bombarded in the black and white gloop wince and make loud protests of horrified disgust. Can't blame them- not every day a deluge of multicoloured gunk pours down on your head out of nowhere. Then all eyes turn to me.

I stand up, taking deep breaths to avoid sudden nausea, and weakly smile. The others stand there in amazed silence- then burst into applause. I weakly wave a hand, grin, and try to stop myself tottering on my feet. As Emma bursts out of the crowd to support me as I stagger, Mr. D clears his throat loudly.

I had completely forgotten Mr. D was there- and I suddenly realize, since time doesn't affect gods like it affects mortals that he had been there for my whole fight scene. And just watched on? I'm even more incredulous than before at his carelessness for demigod lives.

He claps his hands. "Clearly, that was a sign, from Hades and Persephone. The fight must go on, I'm afraid."

**How did you like that? I made it as long as I could- also packed in a little fight scene for you action-lovers ****. Please review- last story I got 100 reviews and still counting! Can we try and get there this time? Thank you! It means a lot when I get a review- I smile every time **** who wants to get the author smile? Huh? **

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	6. I am secretly a Doctor Who Ninja

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After that little incident, nobody's in much of a mood for eating. I head to my cabin, feeling alone despite Emma padding along by my side, trying to cheer me up. Eventually, I snap, lashing out at her. "Quit following me! You're like a sad little puppy dog!" I shout, turning away from her.

I regret the words as soon as they come out of my mouth, as Emma's eyes widen in shock. She pauses, staring at me, then scowls. "_I _follow you?" She says shortly, her face twisted in anger.

No going back now. "You always do! Cut it out, stalker!"

She looks like she might just punch me, brimming with fury. Then suddenly, everything empties out of her. She slouches slightly, looking miserable, but avoids my eyes. "Fine. Bye." She says quietly.

I march away, regretting it yet not wanting to turn back. I really need a friend right now, yet I just brushed Emma off. But I have too much pride to turn back. I stomp into my cabin, kick off my shoes, and fling myself down on the bed, praying for dreamless sleep.

My prayers are answered, and I sink into a blissful lack of conscious thoughts. When I wake up, it's late morning. Sunlight filters in through my clock shaped skylight, landing directly on my bed and brushing my eyelids. I squint; swing my legs off the bed, jump out the door and smack into Nico.

I recoil, staring at him, mentally cringing in case of more angry words. He can obviously see the apprehension in my eyes, and he winces. "Jade, I'm sorry, honestly." He says, looking torn.

I try not to let my relief flood into my face, and weakly smile instead. "It's OK. You know the duel's tomorrow, right?"

He nods. "Which is why I wondered if you'd help me train."

"Me?" bursts out of my mouth. "Why me?"

"One, you're my girlfriend. Two, we always fight well together. Three, nobody's too keen on getting close to either me or that Rachel girl at the moment. Four, I thought using a knife might be handy. Five, I-"

"OK! Fine, I'll help." I say, and he smiles, if a little half-heartedly. "Cool. Let's go down to the arena."

I grab a bag of nachos for breakfast out of the mini fridge the Hermes kids helped me smuggle in, and walk with him. I can't help but notice camper's stares, whispers, and points, but Nico doesn't seem to. As we enter, I notice Katie Gardner in full battle armour, teaching somebody a Theseus Disarm. As the girl nods to Katie's question, I notice her stunningly blue eyes shine out of her helmet. Rachel.

Katie looks me and Nico up and down as we enter, despite my best attempt to ignore them both. Rachel just looks awkward. "What are you doing here, Death Boy?" She sneers.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Daughter of Demeter + Son of Hades= Worst Enemies. Daughter of Persephone + Daughter of Demeter= BFFLS. Surprising, the stuff they don't teach you in math anymore. I answer for Nico. "Well, we're in armour and carrying weapons, so of course we're going butterfly catching." I retort sarcastically.

Nico stifles a laugh as Katie glares at me. "Funny talk from somebody who's mother's only a Muse."

Somebody must have let the Hermes kids in the building, because I hear a muffled "oh no she did-n't!"

I shrug, pretending not to care too much. "Well, Muse Kid can stop time. Flower Power gets to eat cereal. Guess who got the better deal?"

Now I hear a low "oooooh" from the Hermes kids. Katie flushes, and is obviously scrambling for a comeback. "I saw your Mom on TV once." She blurts.

I raise my eyebrows, fold my arms, and can't help a smirk spreading across my face. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, she was Doctor_ FREAKING _Who's assistant!"

This falls flat, and everyone knows so. A slight "aww" of disappointment rises up from the crowd which has suddenly appeared around us. I'm not fazed at all. "You know, I see a striking family resemblance." I say, peering at her face. "Yeah, you and the toucan on the Fruit Loops packet look very similar."

I am thrashing her here, and everyone knows so. She snarls, "When I'm through with you you're going to look worse than the monkey on Coco Puffs!"

I smirk again, and beckon her. "Bring it, Hippie."

That did it. She emits a noise like a wounded bull and charges at me. I whip out my knife, when suddenly poison ivy springs up around me, like a cage. I spin around in a slashing manoeuvre, but the ivy keeps growing. "Using powers now, are we?" I spit at her.

The ivy's growing thicker by the second, and I'm starting to run out of escape plans. As an evil grin spreads across Katie's face, I have a sudden brainwave. I close my eyes, concentrate, and stop time. As the ivy freezes in mid-grow, I jump, spring off the walls of the cage like a ninja, and flip myself through the non-existent roof.

As I land in the dirt, I can't resist walking up to Katie and poising my knife against her throat. Then I let time go. She almost lunges forward, then stops as she realizes something pointy is about to sever her arteries if she takes another step. I grin cheekily. "How goes it, Cerea-"

She brings her knee up in between my legs, lifting me off the ground. I hear all the boys in the little audience around us sympathize, but I'm a girl, and I simply roll to one side, now getting irritated. She unsheathes her sword, and advances. I grip my knife, and get to my feet.

She slashes at my chest, but I duck, feeling the swish of the sword as it narrowly misses my head. As Katie is carried by the momentum of the sword, I flip back onto my hands and launch a two-footed kick into her stomach. She staggers back, but raises her sword in front of her face, and charges again.

She suddenly spins in an elaborate manoeuvre, twisting her sword into a golden arc aiming for me. I raise my knife to block, and as her sword clangs against it, it takes all of my strength to hold it steady. She twirls her sword away, almost disarming me, but I have a tight grip on my knife. I jab downwards with it, poised to strike the first blow in between the notches in her armour, when someone yells, "Chiron's coming!"

I pull my knife away from its downward path, and Katie lurches back. I turn to Nico, and quickly walk to him, acting like nothing's happened. Katie resumes teaching Rachel. Nico grins down at me. "Well, that was useful training." He jokes.

I mock scowl at him. "Shuddup and kill the dummy." I say, gesturing with my knife.

As he proceeds to do so, the rest of our audience pretend innocent, suddenly finding stuff to do. As Chiron walks into the arena, he looks around, appears satisfied, and trots out again.

As I start practising attacking drills with Nico, a small silver whirlwind catches my eye. As I unconsciously turn to look, I'm blown away. It's Rachel, practicing with Katie. As Katie pushes a dummy out into her path, Rachel attacks him violently. She slices, she stabs, and she feints, turns, and for added punishment, leaps up and slices the head off the dummy effortlessly. Then she turns, and sensing half of the arena staring at her, bows.

Some people laugh but it only increases my annoyance. Nico's standing there with his mouth gaping open. I look up at him, sighing. "We need to practice."

For the next three hours, we do nothing but practice. Thousands of defensive and attacking techniques stagger drunkenly throughout my head as we stop momentarily for a drink break. As I slurp down water, Annabeth suddenly appears beside me. "Hey."

I splutter, nearly choking. "Don't _do _that!" I yell.

She shrugs. "Sorry. But keep your voice down. I have information to pass on."

I'm interested now. "What?"

She looks around furtively, and her eyes settle on Rachel. "Noticed something odd about her?" She murmurs.

"Rachel? Other than the fact she tried to kill me?"

She nods. "Something's not quite right about her. You know what I mean? She doesn't act quite... human."

I stare at her. "Uh, yes she does?"

She rolls her eyes. "I mean, look at the way she fights. Isn't that a little unnatural? And right after she fainted, she got straight back up again two seconds later. Something about her worries me."

I consider these. "Hm. So what are you going to do?"

"Watch that space and find out." She orders, and slips her cap on.

I do, staring like a fool at Rachel's twisting, fighting body. Suddenly, a sharp rock flies up above the ground. Like an arrow, it drives into her ankle, leaving a large gash.

She cries out, drops her sword, and twists around to look at her ankle. I peer at her, not sure of what I'm seeing. Then I realize. Golden liquid spills out of the gash, trickling down into the ground.

She has golden blood, which only means one thing-

Somebody's been playing in the nuclear waste.

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages- I've been at my holiday house with no internet! However, you get two added chapters- as an apology. Sorry! **** But I hope you like it- added as much as I can :D **


	7. And They All Lived Happily Ever After

I freeze, but oddly, everything's starting to link up. My dream- a warning? I remember her writhing body, arms waving at odd angles, face screwed up in pain. The signs of possession are suddenly glaringly obvious. I remember my last quest- a case of soul possession by a Titan. But this time... soul possession by a god?

As I consider this, Annabeth appears beside me, deathly pale. "Did you see that?" She whispers harshly, aghast.

I nod, and I can practically see the cogs turning in Annabeth's huge brain. Her eyebrows screwed up in concentration, trying to add everything up. "She threw a knife at you, right?" She mumbles, eyes clouding.

"Yeah..." I say, failing to see how this is relevant.

Her lips purse, and her hands fiddle with her cap. Then she practically jumps in her seat, a mental light bulb bursting into life above her head. "That's it!" she yells excitedly.

I shush her. "Keep your voice down, people will look. And what?"

She lowers her voice. "She's Persephone! She hates Nico... it's the perfect way to get him out of the way with that rule. She'd kill him, and have the advantage of being a goddess as well. She wanted to kill you too... that knife thing was no accident! She wanted to get you out of the way so she could devastate Nico completely..."

Something clicks in my brain. "Are you saying she's been possessed by Persephone in order to kill Nico?"

"Exactly! Disguised as a demigod! Hades, the poor girl may not even be a demigod, even... It's a flawless disguise, apart from golden ichor blood..." Annabeth muses.

I'm on my feet before I know it. "We have to tell Chiron. _Now."_

Nico's finished his water break, and is starting to wander towards me, but I run away from him, my armour melting into my clothes as I jab the button. He yells after me, but I yell back "I'm gonna go save your life! BRB!"

I sprint up to Big House faster than a wood nymph on steroids, and stagger into the room. Chiron looks up from a pinochle card that the satyr he's playing against hasn't eaten, and stares at me. "Jade... what's wrong?"

"Rachel's been possessed by Persephone and trying to kill Nico and she also tried to kill me with her knife in the kayak and basically she's a psycho killer with Katie Cereal Girl Gardner!" I blurt.

He stares at me. "Huh?"

Annabeth arrives behind me, immediately adding backup to my claim. She quickly explains our theory, and the golden blood. Chiron looks like he's been smacked in the face. He wipes a hand across his forehead, then murmurs, "I need to go see this for myself."

He drops the cards, and gallops over to the arena, at top speed. Annabeth and I exchange looks of _not this again!_ But we start running, if not as fast as drugged-up-wood-nymphs.

By the time we arrive, panting, Chiron's called everyone aside. "A serious accusation has been made." He says sternly. "Rachel, come forward please."

Everyone's gotten just a little sick of Rachel being called up, and she looks a teensy bit bored. All boredom dissipates when Chiron pulls a knife out of his quiver pocket.

Rachel backs up, freaked out. "Uh, Chiron, what are you-"

"Oh no, don't worry, just got to trim some arrows." He says nonchalantly, pulling an arrow out and woodworking it to prove his point.

He watches her out of the corner of his eye, and once she drops her gaze, he lunges. He grabs her arms and barely nicks it with the sharp blade of the knife, despite her loud squeal.

Then he twists her arm upside down, for all of us to see the shining gold blood welling up already within the scratch.

Everyone gasps, horrified, as the blood sparkles in the sunlight, already trickling down her arm. She freezes, looking like a little kid with their arm caught in the cookie jar. As everyone turns to stare at her, she sighs, shrugs, and her form flickers.

In her place stands a tall woman, deathly (ha-ha) pale with long auburn hair streaming behind her, dressed in a simple black satin dress. As we all gape at her, she blushes, looking awkward. "I don't suppose there's any way you're not going to tell Hades about this?" she pleads.

Chiron, stony faced, shakes his head. She shrugs, muttering "Tartarus awaits."

A sudden flicker of black and Nico's on the stage, snarling at her. "You were going to kill me!" He growls, fist clenched around his sword.

"Well that was the plan." Persephone says, meeting his eye in a look of complete loathing. "After all, you're your mother's son."

Nico tries to lunge forward in a blind rage, seething, but Chiron's hands latch around his shoulders firmly. "Persephone, it would be wise for you to go back to Hades, unless you want this young gentleman to attempt grievous bodily harm to your person." Chiron states; completely deadpan.

She looks down at him, grimaces, and then disappears with a pop. Chiron looks out onto the campers, most of which are still dumbstruck. "The fight is off." He says, somewhat unnecessarily.

It's only the Ares cabin which doesn't erupt in cheers of giddy relief as the campers rejoice. Nico gets hugs, claps on the back from people he doesn't even know, and kisses from the Aphrodite cabin. He looks down on me, beaming, and I grin back at him. Then as I glimpse Emma's back quickly leaving the scene, I give him a "talk later" sign and jog after her.

She wanders down to the lake, through a long pinewood forest. As I avoid prickles and sharp branches, she suddenly flops down against the biggest tree, closing her eyes. I deliberately break a branch, loudly.

She flinches, eyes wide open, then they land on me. I see a flash of pain within them, before she covers it up with anger. "Look who's following who now." She hisses.

I wince. "Emma, honestly, I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean it, I was just being..."

She waits, raised eyebrows. "OK, I was being a female hellhound, to be PC."

The corners of her mouth twitch upward. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

Pause, then she sighs. "Me too. I overreacted."

"S'alright."

I plonk down next to her, and smile. "You know, our fight was nothing compared to Tom Baker and Emerald Samson's." I say matter-of-factly.

Her eyes light up. "Really? I didn't know they'd broken up! What about?"

I'm about to tell her, when she freezes stock-still, eyes fixated on a position just above my shoulder. I stop, stare at her, and then turn around.

Clio smiles back at me, her brown eyes full of mirth and her long tresses of wavy black hair dancing round her shoulders in the wind. I pause, frozen in shocked glee. When I grin, she quickly pulls out a scroll from the pocket of her cargos. "Thought you might want to hear the latest on Persephone." She says in a low musical voice.

"They've dealt with her already?" I can't stop the shock spreading into my voice.

She shrugs. "Gods deal with things quicker than most, honey. Anyways, Hades is extremely angry at her. He's summoned Nico so you may not see him for a few days at most. He's sentenced Persephone to confinement in Tartarus's keep until she sees the error of her ways, which personally I think will be getting caught. The Olympian committee are being notified now."

She raises her eyes heavenwards, and counts one, two, three seconds on a golden clock hanging round her neck. "Three seconds. That reaction from Olympus shows they really don't give."

Emma's small voice wavers behind me. "Jade, is this your mom?"

I turn to her and grin. "Yep."

"Hi Clio!"

"Hi Emma!"

I can't help but laugh at their cheerful nature. Then a question creeps into my mind. "Mum... why aren't you like the other gods?"

She looks at me, baffled. "Huh?"

"Well... you're a lot more casual than the other gods, like you talk like how I talk instead of all formal and stuff..." I trail off.

She smiles. "Oh, the Muses appear to everybody exactly how you want to see them. To the gods, I'm all stiff and formal. To most demigods, I appear how I am now."

I nod, and she suddenly checks the clock again. "My sisters- your aunts- are wanting me back by now anyways. Good luck with everything else Jade- well done on finding out about Persephone, that would have been _very _disastrous." She says, opening up a swirling portal framed with flickering purple flames.

I nod again, and she looks at me keenly. "By the way..."

"What?"

"I _was _Doctor Who's assistant once. Bye!"

With that, she steps into the portal, and vanishes with a beam of purple light. As I stare at the spot she once stood, Emma touches my shoulder. "Race you to dinner?"

I haven't realized how late it's getting, the golden and red of a sunset washing over my face, stealing light from everything else. I grin at her. "It's on!"

As we dash up the hillside, leaping over logs and branches, swerving to catch each other off, I feel happier than I have in a long time. Nico's not in mortal peril, Emma and I are best of friends again, and it's burgers for dinner tonight judging by the smell. As I hurtle over long grass, shoes thumping along the ground, I hear a raspy, echoing voice in my ear:

_It won't last._

**Thanks all for reviewing, but that's a wrap! Tell me if you want to see a threquel... I don't think I will make one thought, the story's lost too much of its original plot anyways. Keep author alerting me- If you like Hunger Games, I'm thinking about making a fan fic for that soon! Watch this space! **

**Love to all (especially TwilightLuvr4Eva) xoxox**


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